


99 Problems But You Ain't One

by XtaticPearl



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Birthday Presents, Dorks in Love, Everyone Thinks They're Together, Fluff and Humor, Getting Together, James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark Friendship, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Mutual Pining, Oblivious Bucky Barnes, Protective Bucky Barnes, Secret Crush, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-10
Updated: 2016-03-10
Packaged: 2018-05-25 21:03:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6210064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XtaticPearl/pseuds/XtaticPearl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's Bucky's 99th birthday and Tony has been planning for weeks to ask him out today with an elaborate pampering plan. He just didn't expect everybody else to keep the birthday boy to themselves the entire day. By the end of the day, when it looks like it's all over, Bucky comes back home to get the best birthday surprise ever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	99 Problems But You Ain't One

**Author's Note:**

> It's Bucky's birthday today!!! I'm so excited and happy! This one's for the guy we all love and will love forever <3 Happy birthday, Buckaroo!

Tony was the best date planner he knew, no matter what Pepper said or Rhodey groaned about. They were chicken-shits, in his polite opinion, and did not enjoy the awesomeness of rocket-booted dancing, fireball shots or cookie robots. Rhodey didn't even appreciate air-hostesses pole dancing, so Tony wasn't considering him an opinion in the first place for this. But Pepper with her backlog of hundreds of charity galas and success parties planned, well Tony  _did_ listen to her more often than not. But this time, she could suck it too. He was going to birth the day out of this birthday date/mini-party.

Bucky would be rocked out by it. There will be support groups for people who weren't part of the date. It would be the Barney Stinson of dates. And maybe he could get Bucky to suit up in his birthday suit later. After executing his perfect plan in his perfect date.

In the background, Brian Johnson voiced in agreement,  _'There's gonna be some rockin' ,There's gonna be some rockin' ,There's gonna be some rockin' at the show tonight!'_. Tony nodded his head to the tune and added the finishing touch to the last present of his batch. It was almost midnight, just about twenty more minutes to go. He was definitely going to prove Pepper wrong about his punctuality.

"And that's 99," he declared with a rush of satisfaction, taking the protection glasses off his eyes and removing the gloves off his hands, "There, now that's done. Now all we need to do is wait for tomorrow. Hey, Jarvis! What do you think? Good enough?"

"Are you asking me if I like it, sir?" the AI inquired primly making Tony roll his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah," he said with a shrug, "Imagine you're him. Would you like it? What would you say?"

"Fucking hell, Stark, get your magnets off my arm!" JARVIS replied promptly, in his own dull deadpanned tone.

Tony paused for a minute and cocked his head up to look at the ceiling.

"But since I am not James, I am sure he would say something more...acceptable, sir" JARVIS added as an afterthought, knowing that his upgrade day was nearing.

"J, if you weren't mine, I would really not like you," Tony said thoughtfully before breaking out in a grin, "But because you literally share my mind sometimes and I'm as cool as it gets, you're fine. He isn't you so yes, he'll like it."

"As you say, sir," JARVIS replied with an amused tilt to his tone, "Now, would you like me to remind you of the next task in your list for the preparations?"

Tony clapped his hands and nodded, listening to his AI droll about safety measures he would have to go through for a tricky bit of firework show he had planned. Fifteen more minutes and he would finally get the chance to celebrate the best goddamned birthday of James Buchanan Barnes.

\--------------

It turned out that Tony wasn't the best foreseer of the future. Or just that he housed the worst assholes of the universe who were hell bent on being joy-blockers in his life. Every single one of them, he seethed internally as he stared at the note on the breakfast table, every single one of the cape clad, spandex loving, poptart hogging jerks deserved to be thrown out. But of course he couldn't do it because he had conveniently written off the Tower in everybody's name in a moment of clarity in the past, perhaps knowing that this day would come.

Didn't mean that he didn't want to throw their clothes off the roof though.

"Hey Tony," he read the note in Steve's handwriting again, "sorry we couldn't do breakfast. Tried reaching you but Jarvis said that you were busy. When you get this note, don't forget to eat something. Anyway, me and Buck are leaving for Brooklyn, to catch up on some old times for his birthday. Natasha and Clint said they had some plans with him too later in the day, so I'm not sure when we'll be back. We'll bring you back some souvenirs if we do something fun. Good day! Steve."

Tony didn't crumple the paper but came very near to doing it. It wasn't fair, he thought desperately, he hadn't even seen Bucky today yet and the guy was gone. He knew in some corner of his mind that Steve was closest to Bucky and probably deserved first dibs on doing something special with his best friend. It was always a given and everybody knew that. There was a reason they had been inseparable 'on and off the schoolyard'. Tony had seen it with his own eyes, the deep trust and care they shared for each other. He was a little envious in the beginning but he couldn't stay that way after watching the way Steve would simply light up every time Bucky would start talking about some dumb thing they had done in the past. 

Tony was kind of relieved that Steve had started smiling more often and began unclenching after so many years of maintaining his mask. He was also undeniably happy that Bucky had a link to a past he didn't want to bury or burn out. The knowledge that they were family who had reunited made Tony feel a little better and proud of his decision to actively oppose the WSC and spearhead the protection program that had allowed Bucky to remain with the Avengers.

Of course, there was also the tiny fact that he was basically head over heels for the guy but that hadn't been his earliest reason.

He sat down on the kitchen counter and stared despondently into his coffee mug, pondering about the first present he would have given Bucky if he had found him during breakfast. He hadn't gone with the notion of buying the biggest thing in the store, not after the bunny fiasco during that Christmas with Pepper. Things had changed with Tony. Things had changed a lot more since Bucky came into his life. It wasn't all romantic for him, what with their first meeting having been set during the worst time of Tony's life. He had just broken up with Pepper, had lost his arc-reactor, was in deep trouble with all the targeting from Project Insight and basically walking a tight rope of sanity. Bucky had shaken that rope violently, making Tony fall on his ass, sometimes quite literally, in the first month of knowing him. The whole issue of him being the hand that caused his parents' death had simmered at the surface and eventually blown up during an unforgettable showdown in the middle of the street, during a mission. 

The first gift was a reminder of that big fight. A fingerless gauntlet that would stop a bullet or any mini-explosive at point-blank range. He still remembered Bucky's face when Steve had talked him down from shooting Tony during that fight, the utter fear and crushed confidence in his eyes when he realized that he was proving Tony's jabs about him being out-of-control right. The guilt of those jabs had been verbally assuaged by Bucky since then, almost forgotten during the time they had spent together as friends over the months. But it was still a memory of distaste for Tony. This present would make sure that Bucky would never have to fear himself again. It was a peace offering, a reminder that Bucky wouldn't harm an unarmed person anymore.

Sighing to himself, Tony chugged the coffee in one go and stalked off from the kitchen, deciding to give Bucky the time he deserved to spend with Steve. It was  _his_ birthday, Tony reminded himself, he was supposed to choose whom he wanted to start it off with. Patience and calm were not Tony's strongest suits but he was far too in love to deny Bucky anything now. So, he decided to wait, like a normal person. 

"I'll just give him the surprise when he comes back," he muttered to himself as he went down to the workshop, "It's not like he's going to be gone the entire day. I'll just wait then."

Settling that in his mind he pulled up the schematic for Clint's latest arrow upgrade and tried to focus on things that weren't related to his plan or Bucky.

He wasn't all that successful about ignoring the last bit.

\-------------

"J, make a note, never make friends with spies and archers. They suck," Tony grunted after cutting the call in frustration.

"You have made that note 2,543 times in the past, sir," the British voice responded, "Should I simply add this to those?"

"NO. Make this a special note. Get copies of it and flash it in every screen I see till I remember it," Tony grumbled as he flopped onto the couch and glared at his phone, "Also remind me to fill the vents with glitter. I'm going to bedazzle the shit out of Birdbrain."

"I am sure that will have extremely successful results, sir," JARVIS replied sarcastically, "And anything for Ms. Romanoff?"

"Don't get snappy with me, buddy," Tony wagged a finger at one of the security cameras with a frown before huffing, "If I prank Natasha, I'll only end up killing myself. In ways I don't want to die in. No fun in that. No, nothing for Lady Ivan, the Terribler."

"Duly noted, sir," the AI appeased, pausing before continuing, "Do you wish to call James, sir? To wish him now instead of waiting?"

Tony considered it for all of thirty seconds before shaking his head vehemently.

"Nah, that'll just ruin the plan and the surprise," he informed JARVIS pointedly, "Besides, calling and wishing doesn't sound all that romantic, does it? It won't do for what I have to say today, J. This needs to be more personal. The right setting and atmosphere is needed. Let's just...wait."

He had gotten a call from Clint a few minutes back saying that him and Natasha had hijacked Bucky from Steve right from Brooklyn. They were apparently going to visit some shitty place where the three had made friends with a couple of crazy veterans and adventure junkies. In all probability, Barton had planned a bar hopping scheduled, Tony decided. But Natasha was there with them too and Tony knew that she shared another special relationship with Bucky. Something they didn't talk much about to the others, but it was always easily detectable when both of them would reminisce in Russian during insomnia nights. Natasha had been among the first of Avengers to understand the Winter Soldier part of Bucky, accepting both sides with equal respect. That had made her important in the ex-soldier's list and Tony had been privy to many instances which were proof of that.

If Natasha was taking Bucky out for his birthday, then Tony had no chance of stopping them. If this had been six months back, he might have tried, with irrational jealousy and whining taking over. But he had gradually understood the nature of their relationship as something more comforting and sympathetic than romantic. Not to mention, knowing about the 'secret' affair between Natasha and Pepper helped too. Which answered so many questions from the past for Tony.

In short, he couldn't do anything about Natasha or Clint celebrating with the man he secretly loved. He would just end up making things awkward and probably upsetting the genuine care the two had for him. Bucky had so little friends already that Tony didn't want to rob him of time with those he did hold dear. It seemed like a very clingy thing to do.

He remembered the time he had shown some clingy tendencies when Steve and Bucky had begun re-bonding and he had presumed that the Captain had forgotten all about his new friends. It hadn't been a pleasant day and Tony had locked himself up in the workshop, trying to shove all his insecurities under pretense of work. That had been the first time Bucky had taken the initiative to let himself into Tony's workshop and personal bubble. Tony still remembered the calm with which the guy had listened to Tony's rant and whining before offering him a hand and telling him that he wanted to be Tony's friend too. He had explained that he was trying to find any point of grounding, some semblance of normality after a large part of his abnormal life. He had briefly and honestly told Tony about how Steve and him had gone through the worst times of their lives together, how he had been with Steve when he had lost his family and how he wasn't trying to steal him back but was only trying to find him again. Tony hadn't felt that ashamed of himself before that but he didn't have to worry because Bucky had easily pulled him into his friends circle, giving him a chance to find a new amazing friend rather than lose an old one. 

He had a present in his collection meant for that day. A simple algorithm and a basic idea had created a 5D kaleidoscope based device where Tony had fed every single image, movie and data from Bucky's past friendship with Steve and the other Commandos. It was meant to be a part of the past he could relive, in complete dimensions.

"J, just get an alert made for Barton's tracker, alright? I wanna make sure we know if they get into any trouble," Tony told his AI as he swallowed disappointment for the second time in the day and went back to working on the Quinjet remodel. Bucky was just hanging out with his friends, he thought to himself firmly, it didn't mean that Tony had to feel left out. He would still be able to go through with his plan. He just needed to have some more patience.

Unfortunately, fighting his inability to be patient always brought out his other insecurities. He was just getting started on his old friends, tragic self-confidence and appalling self-worth.

\---------------------

Bucky watched as Sam left a message with JARVIS, to let Tony know that they had taken Bucky out to drinks. He had made sure that Tony knew where he was at all times, insisting that whoever tried to hijack him made a note with Tony. Steve had given him a strange look, Clint had complained loudly and constantly and Sam had just forwned before complying. Bucky didn't care. He wanted Tony to know that he was just with the Avengers. He wanted Tony to know where he was. 

Maybe it was a method to compensate for leaving without even meeting the genius in the morning, not sharing the bitter coffee that only Bucky and Tony liked, not dragging him out of the workshop with jabs at his greasy hair and motor-oil smoothies. Maybe Bucky was just missing Tony, in the roller-coaster ride he had gone on with Steve, in the stunt-bike gang he had raced with Natasha and Clint, in the outrageously large lunch he had shared with Thor, in the quiet animal shelter visit he had shared with Bruce and now in the chic club he was in with Sam and Darcy. He had missed Tony throughout the day, wondering why the guy hadn't called him to even wish him or dropped him a message. Tony always called Bucky, always picking up a conversation about some strange technology or movie reference he had been thinking about two weeks back. It was reassuring, knowing that Tony trusted him enough to just go with the flow and talk senseless, unlike the times Bucky had seen the genius be calculative and careful with many others. With Bucky, the guy brought out his crudest jokes, wore the most crumpled and strange clothes, ate the worst take-out food and watched crappy TV shows that they both yelled at while throwing popcorn. With Bucky, Tony was simply himself.

That was what had led Bucky to fall completely and utterly in love with the man. The man underneath all that flash and metal. The mischievous kid who would peek out during Twister and Monopoly. The absolute Queen fan-boy who would secretly hobo-dance to the legend's songs when he didn't have to pretend to be a cool AC/DC fan. He loved his hard rock, Bucky knew that. But he also loved cheesy songs, singing karaoke to Sting's tunes, mouthing the right lyrics when Clint sang Tina Turner's songs wrong. Bucky loved watching Tony ramble and have animated conversations with Dum-E, You and Butterfingers, petting them unconsciously as he frowned at his endless schematics. He loved it when Tony would randomly walk up to him while he occupied the couch during movie nights and would proceed to simply collapse all over him before nodding off right before the climax of every movie. He loved it when Tony would eat and drink only Bucky's food if he got sick and would hiss at anybody who tried to interrupt their lunch. He loved sneaking into the workshop and shoving Tony's hip, royally demanding that he tweak some more on his arm, getting an almost fond look masked by an exaggerated eye-roll. 

He loved Tony. Every version of him. And he desperately wanted to let the man know so that he could stop trying to pull off a casual 'friend' look whenever he was around the guy. 

He just didn't know how to tell him. He had spent such a long time in trying to find the perfect way that now every thing he thought of sounded strange and fake.

He had thought that he could use his birthday as an excuse to do it. After all, birthday boys always got a pass, right? But now, looking at the absolute silence and lack of any communication from Tony, he wondered if he was reading the signals wrong. 

"Dude, you need to chill out and have fun," Darcy reminded him when he frowned at his phonne, slinging an arm through his own and pulling him to the bar, "It's your 99th birthday. You're only 99 once in your life! Imagine! Just one more year to touch the triple digit! This requires proper booze and schmooze, Barnes!"

"Yeah, man," Sam chimed in with a small grin, clapping a hand over Bucky's shoulder, "Relax. You look like you're passing stones rather than celebrating your birthday. Loosen up, have some fun. Look around, meet people, have fun. Come on, Bucks. Let your hair down."

"My hair  _is_ down," Bucky muttered under his breath but sighed at Darcy's pointed look, "Look, it's just been a long day. Can't we just go home? I feel like I'm a little old for this shit."

"Pal, age is just a number when you look like you," Darcy informed him with a snort and wink, "And we  **will** go home, cause I'm pretty sure Cap would give us his worst glare if we took you home trashed. We're just taking about a few birthday shots, a little dancing and then we'll leave. Come on, Bucky. Everybody else got to take you out to celebrate, right?"

"Not everybody," Bucky retorted quietly before shaking his head at Sam's questioning look, "Fine, we'll get your thing over with and then we're going home. Alright?"

"Geez, don't be over-enthusiastic, kiddo," Darcy rolled her eyes but grinned and ordered the shots nevertheless, "It's gonna be fun. Just let go and relax."

Bucky did try to relax. He smiled at Darcy's antics on the dance-floor and joined in to ruin Sam's chances at talking to pretty gals. He even managed to scare off a drunk guy with just his pointed glare, something he always loved doing just for fun. But none of it, nothing made him feel happy. It was like something was missing. He kept turning to his right, expecting to find Tony making a snide comment about Darcy's flail-style dancing. His eyes kept observing people or things that would have interested Tony into making obnoxious and ridiculous jokes. His hand kept slipping into his pocket, checking for any new messages from a number he had on speed-dial.

Nothing felt right. Nothing felt good. It was like he was being forced into fun when he didn't know how to have it.

He just wanted to go home and burrow himself into Tony's workshop, arguing with him about some meaningless detail of the latest suit upgrade or teach the bots to prank Tony. He wanted to go home. He wanted to go back to Tony.

Which was why he was pissed when he had to report at SHIELD just as he was leaving the club. Phil Coulson was majorly responsible for a large part of Bucky's rehab and therapy process. He had been the one who had agreed to support Tony and Steve when they had rallied to have Bucky safe from the hands of politicians and parties that would have executed him in no time. He respected Coulson and Fury, both men highly skilled and commanding in nature.

That didn't mean though that he was happy about an unnecessary briefing and sudden check-up, to ensure that he was up to date about the mission he was supposed to be a part of in two months. It had taken longer than he would have liked and when Coulson gave him a taser-pen as a gift, he was too grumpy to even smile in reply. He did pocket the gift though and gritted through the entire time he was at the HQ. 

When he finally got out, it was well past 11:00. He was tired, grumpy and annoyed as hell. 

His mood didn't improve when he reached back home and found Rhodey sitting in the living room, surfing the TV calmly.

"If you're here to drag me off to some birthday thing too, you can just go fuck yourself," Bucky grunted as the Colonel simply gave him a look and went back to the TV, "Look, thanks for the intention but -"

"Is this a thing with you 40's guys?" Rhodey cut him off coolly, switching off the TV and considering him with an unreadable gaze, "Trying to make everything about yourself? Rogers did the same thing in the beginning and now it's you. Why do you think I flew in all the way from DC to celebrate your birthday? Do I look like a guy who would do that instead of just sending a text?"

Bucky stopped and stared at Rhodey, frowning and re-evaluating his assumption. He looked at the guy still wearing his uniform and felt a snag of doubt creep in.

"Is Tony okay?" he asked immediately, getting into a guard-mode, "You don't come here if it isn't related to Tony. Is he okay? Where is he? JARVIS?"

"JARVIS won't be answering anything yet," Rhodey informed him with a defiant expression on his face making Bucky's eyes harden, "And you can quit posturing with me. You're not gonna hurt me in Tony's house, no matter how angry you get."

"Don't try me," Bucky warned lightly, ready for the slightest hint of danger, "If it's related to Tony, then I'm not above using any means. Why won't JARVIS answer? What's wrong? Rhodes, if something has happened to Tony and you're hiding it, so help me God -"

"You'll do what?" Rhodey asked quietly, crossing his arms and leveling Bucky with a calm glare, "You'll run off with your other pals?"

"What?" Bucky frowned, thrown back by the insinuation, "What the fuck are you talking about? And where's Tony?"

"He's here," Rhodey told him casually, "He's in his workshop and JARVIS is monitoring him. He's safe. Physically. I don't know about the other aspects."

"Did somebody hurt him?" Bucky asked with anger building up inside him against anybody who had dared to do it.

"Yeah, you did," Rhodey answered him calmly.

Bucky looked like he had been slapped. He stared harder at Rhodey, trying to find any sense in the accusation.

"Me? I wasn't even here the whole day," Bucky shot back, his heart thudding against his chest, "What did I do? Rhodes, don't spin riddles and just spit it out."

"You'll find out on your own," Rhodey quipped as he stood up and walked around the couch, "It's not like the fool is strong enough to ignore you for long.  _I_ don't even know the whole story. All I know is that I've not seen him this messed up since the time he thought he screwed up with Pepper. Actually, this is worse than that time. That time he was sane enough to call me before he passed out. This time JARVIS had to call me instead. I've not seen him throw up alcohol for almost a year and here is again, doing what I thought he'd stopped doing. And the only thing I know, the only thing I got from him and JARVIS was your name and something about messing up a birthday. So, no, I don't know the whole story but I do know enough to say that you hurt him. Somehow, knowingly or unknowingly, because the latter is easy with the idiot, you hurt him bad. And I need to know just one thing from you now."

Bucky had frozen half way through Rhodey's talk, his brain repeating the same sentence again and again.  _That time he was sane enough to call me before he passed out. This time JARVIS had to call me instead._ Tony had passed out. From too much alcohol. Bucky felt his brain almost explode at the consequences that could have happened if any small attack or villain had intruded before he had come back. If anything had happened if Rhodey hadn't come to take care of Tony. If JARVIS hadn't sent a panic call to DC. Which was another worrying thing. JARVIS always knew to call one of the Avengers first, before he got around to calling Pepper or Rhodey. The fact that he had ignored all of them, ignored Bucky, and had called Rhodey made the ex-soldier feel worse than ever. He snapped back to reality when Rhodey called his name once more, noting that the Colonel was still looking at him expectantly.

"What do you want?" he asked, not caring that his voice had a tremble or sounded more vulnerable than he would have ever dared to show.

Rhodey must have observed something too because his eyes lost some of its hardness when he spoke.

"Are you crazy enough to stick by Tony despite whatever he's bound to tell you after this? Are you mad enough to fight for him and yourself when he tries to make things hell?"

Bucky would have answered immediately because he knew that it would be a yes. Whatever had happened, whatever had caused this breakdown, Bucky would handle it. He was strong enough to call Tony out on his bullshit and fight for him. But he paused and thought things over, knowing that Rhodey wasn't just asking about tonight. He was implying things on a more general term, on a longer run. This wasn't a best friend giving him the test. This was a pseudo-guardian asking if Bucky was sure about taking on a responsibility that Rhodey had been carrying for long. Of being Tony's person. Of being smart enough to stick his ground when things got crazy. Of being enough.

"I'm not going anywhere, Rhodes," Bucky answered quietly, meeting the man's eyes head-on, letting him see whatever he saw in them. 

Rhodey remained silent for a few minutes, clearly sizing Bucky up. He must have seen something that assured him because he relaxed minutely and nodded.

"Good. Then happy birthday," he said with a small smirk, "And go kick his ass. JARVIS, please help Barnes with flame extinguishing if things get out of hand."

"I'll do my best, Colonel," the AI replied in a wry voice before softening, "James, sir is in the workshop. I would recommend not informing him before hand to avoid any further obstacles."

Rhodey chuckled at that and gave Bucky a nod before walking around him and leaving the building quietly. Bucky stood in the same spot for a few minutes before he set off downstairs, intent on finding Tony.

They were going to have a long talk, he decided firmly.

\--------------

 Tony hated being sober again. It didn't help in blocking out the voices that were reminding him that he wasn't really worth Bucky, that he wasn't important enough. He knew that Rhodey was right, he couldn't wallow in self-pity every time something didn't go his way or his plans didn't work out. Rhodey was right, he always had been. Tony had survived a larger part of his life because Rhodey had been right. 

But right now, he didn't want Rhodey to be right. He just wanted to feel silence and nothing inside of him. He blinked harshly at his hands and continued typing in the codes necessary for the new bot-pet he was making. If he couldn't have a boyfriend, he could at least have a pet that would like him, right? And AI pets were so much better than those who could abandon him if he ever screwed up. 

"Is that supposed to be a lynx or a house-cat?" he heard a voice behind him and froze. He didn't get a chance to think of a witty response though before he saw Bucky strolling to the front of the table he was working on, a slow smile on his face.

"It started out as a hamster but then I wanted a tabby cat," Tony shrugged lightly, eyes taking in the tired look before him and frowning slightly, "You look like shit."

Bucky raised an eyebrow at that before pointedly raking his eyes all over Tony.

"Coming from you, I'd take it as a compliment, stinkbean," he quipped with a smirk, leaning forward and swiping a finger over the dark circle under Tony's eyes, "Either you suck at make-up or that's one hell of a sleep schedule you've had for a couple of days."

"Yeah, well, Einsteing slept for only -"

"Three hours a year. Yeah, you've told me," Bucky waved a hand before locking his gaze onto Tony's, "But you're not Einstein. You're Tony Stark. Shouldn't you be smarter? About yourself too?"

"I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself, Bucky," Tony sighed tiredly, rubbing a hand over his face, "I'll just finish some things and get to bed. You don't have to worry."

"I don't have to, I know. I just want to worry," Bucky corrected casually, picking the half-done pet-robot out of Tony's hands and looking it over, "Why are you building yourself a damn cat, doll? What's wrong?"

Tony flinched lightly at the endearment and hoped to hide it but saw Bucky noting it.

"Nothing's wrong. Everything is the way it always was," Tony shot back sadly, scratching at his neck in nervousness, "I don't really have reasons for everything I build, Bucky. Sometimes genius just needs an outlet."

"You have reasons for everything you do, Tony," Bucky reminded him with a soft smile, shaking his head before walking towards the genius in slow and sure steps, "And building a pet for yourself? That looks like some big reason. What's wrong, kotyonok?"

"I'm fine, Buck. Just...go have yourself a good birthday with the others," Tony tried to force a smile but it came out more like a grimace.

"And then there's that," Bucky latched on to the topic and stepped into Tony's personal space, staring him down with a soft but pained smile, "I missed you today, Tony. Why didn't you wish me? I know that I've had 99 birthday before but I still wanted to spend today with people I love."

"And you did, right?" Tony whispered harshly, trying to avoid Bucky's eyes and staring at his forehead instead, "You had the entire day with everybody you love."

"Not everybody," Bucky corrected firmly, touching Tony's jaw and rubbing a thumb over the goatee and watching Tony lean into the touch, "I didn't get to spend it with the person I'm in love with."

Tony didn't speak at all. Didn't dare to look up and meet Bucky's eyes. He simply stayed frozen to his spot, hands clenched at his sides, eyes closed at the feel of Bucky's hand on his jaw. He didn't want to hope now, didn't have it in him to try and fall.

Bucky had no qualms about taking that leap though. He leaned in and gently touched Tony's forehead with his own, smiling at the scrunched nose he got in reaction.

"I didn't get to spend it with you, lyubov moya," Bucky whispered, seeing Tony slowly open his eyes and feeling his heart clench at the wondrous expression in the honey brown orbs. Had Tony truly thought that Bucky didn't love him? Had he truly considered him not included in Bucky's circle? "I love you, Tony. I thought you already knew," he said softly with a smile gracing his lips and a helpless shrug.

"How would I know?" Tony asked in amazement, slowly unclenching his hands, "You didn't-I didn't think-Did I miss something?"

"How about every single day you've known me for the past seven months?" Bucky asked with a soft nudge of his nose against Tony's, "Come on doll, did you really not see how I fell in love with you every day? Did you not see how you are the only who gets to see my bad days without forcing anything? Did you not see that I always feel happy and calm when I'm with you? Did you not see Tony, how I would rather stay in the workshop with you than go anywhere else when you holed yourself up here? Did you really not see that everybody else already acknowledges us as one, always expecting the other when one is called? Was it really that hard to see how I fell in love with you without any need to despair or hide? I've loved you for so long that I don't even know when it started, Tony. Was it really not visible to you, love?"

Tony went completely still, eyes wide and locked on Bucky's smiling pale ones. This was happening, his brain screamed at him, this was really happening. The guy he was madly in love with was equally in love with him. Bucky loved him. Him, Tony. All the pain, all the heart-break of the day came gushing in and he took a shuddering breath, leaning into Bucky for support till the shudder passed.

"I had a perfect plan," Tony spoke with a shaking voice, hands coming up to grasp at Bucky's arms to hold himself up, "I've been planning for weeks, getting the perfect words ready, the perfect setting, the perfect gifts. I got 99 gifts for you. Didn't rely on Hallmark or some stupid gift store. Got them myself, made most of them. I didn't know how much to do. I didn't know how I to tell you what I've been going through for six fucking months. How the hell do you tell someone how much you love them if you can't even measure how much you love them? I kept trying, kept thinking that if I got the perfect date today, I'll be able to impress you and get a chance to tell you..everything. How I lose my mind when you don't fucking tell me if your arm hurts. How I got the guts to open up about my nightmares to you because I wanted to help you out with yours. How I would rather eat your stupid double meat sandwich than wine or dine in any restaurant. How I can't handle any other coffee because I don't find your taste, you in them. I was going to tell you how I've lost it and have completely and utterly fallen in love with you. I was terrified about that but I wanted to tell you to know if I had even a chance to try harder. God, Buck! You can't know, you can't imagine how much I wanted it to be perfect today! I wanted to be perfect for you! Because I fucking love you and I don't know how to say that properly!"

Bucky didn't know how he had the strength to stand after hearing the raw pain and emotion in Tony's voice. His heart was threatening to burst out of his chest and his grin was wider than his face. He clasped Tony's face in both hands and crossed the final distance, giving both of them relief from the torture they had been inflicting on themselves. Tony melted the moment Bucky's lips touched his, hands coming up to card through Bucky's hair, pulling him closer. It wasn't the perfect kiss, with too many missed targets and far too less breaths taken to continue longer. It was as though they were both parched souls, drinking in from an oasis after a long crawl through the desert. Neither was willing to back out, stealing oxygen in morsels before delving back in, desperate hands running all over each other. Trying to make sure that they had their love in their hands. 

Bucky lifted Tony off the ground and felt the genius automatically hook his legs around Bucky's waist.

"Ninety nine gifts?" he asked between kisses, swallowing the groans and sounds falling from Tony's mouth, "Fucking hell, baby. All I needed was this. This one thing. You, Tony. All I need is you. You didn't have to give me anything else, doll. You are my gift."

"Cheesy, asshole," Tony huffed on a watery laugh before kissing Bucky again hard, "You could have just told me earlier and I wouldn't have bothered. Wait, scratch that, I am awesome and I would have bothered. They're fucking fantastic gifts, muffin. You're gonna weep under my brilliance, you wait and see."

"Maybe later," Bucky growled as he nipped at Tony's jaw, getting a gasp and expletive in reaction, "Right now, I'll take the brilliance directly from the source, thank you. Now, shut up and get kissing."

"Bossy shit," Tony laughed as Bucky grabbed his ass and squeezed in a tease, "I don't know why I love you anymore."

"Yeah?" Bucky asked roughly, a smirk finding way onto his lips before he lowered his voice and whispered in Tony's ear, "Why don't I show you better?"

Tony shrieked as he felt a sharp pinch on his ass before Bucky shut him up with his mouth and walked them both towards Tony's bedroom, letting JARVIS shut down the lab and any projects open.

When the clock struck twelve, Tony was too busy screaming Bucky's name to grumble about being the last one to celebrate his birthday. He was sure that nobody else got a return gift like him and was far too smug to think any further.

\------------------

Tony stirred from his sleep when he felt something poke his ribs. He tried to ignore it then swat at it but the poking just got worse and incessant.

"What?" he snapped sleepily and opened his eyes when another poke jarred him, "What the hell do you want, you owl?"

"Get up," Bucky whispered, smirking down at the bleary eyed man next to him, "I've got to show you something."

"Show me when it's normal human time, not bat time," Tony grumbled and tried to sleep again but Bucky simply rolled over and straddled him, continuing to poke him in the chest, "Urgh! You're annoying after sex."

"You still love me though," Bucky shrugged with a smug grin that made Tony poke his tongue out, "Stop whining and open your eyes, idiot. Come on."

Tony grumbled and hit Bucky's thigh but opened his eyes nonetheless, glaring at the dancing pale eyes of his lover.

"It's not your birthday anymore, you know?" he informed grumpily, involuntarily leaning into the light stroking of his arm, "You don't get a birthday pass after your birthday."

"Shut up, kotyonok" Bucky quipped with a quick kiss and leaned back before thrusting a tablet at Tony's chest.

Tony frowned at that and then at Bucky, clearly confused about this sudden development.

"If you want me to do calculations or an upgrade right now, I'm really not going -"

"Read it," Bucky cut in with a fond roll of his eyes, "It's something for you to read."

The genius simply huffed and made a big show about pushing at Bucky till he had some space to read the tablet. And then felt himself freeze.

"99 problems of Bucky Barnes?" he read the title out loud, frowning at Bucky, "What is this?"

"Just read it, will you?" Bucky insisted with a pout that had Tony snort before complying.

It took all of five minutes for Tony to read through the bulleted list, his expression varying through various interesting points. At one part he almost stopped because of the pain he himself felt but Bucky urged him to complete it. When he finally finished it, he laid the tablet on the bedside and hooked his arms around Bucky's waist.

"What was that, babe?" he asked quietly, rubbing soothing circles on his lover and boyfriend's hip.

"You made me 99 gifts," Bucky replied softly, leaning forward and placing his chin on Tony's chest, "After you went to sleep, I went down and checked them. I wanted to know how and why you made so many. Sure, the age thing was there but still. You made one for each thing or time we shared. Every memorable moment or thought that you know about me. You made me 99 gifts so that you could tell me 99 reasons you love me. Right?"

Tony stared at Bucky for a minute before nodding slowly.

"That's sweet," he smiled, giving Tony a quick kiss before continuing, "And so I thought, what would my reasons be? You know, apart from the ones I already told you. And I started thinking but I got nothing in my head other than my problems. Every single thing I could think of was a problem I had. So I started writing them out. You know what I learnt from that?"

Tony shook his head but smiled when Bucky grinned wider.

"I learned that I've got 99 problems but you aren't one," Bucky said simply, dragging his hands up Tony's body to cup his face, "That's my reason. You're the one thing in my life that isn't a problem, Tony. You're the solution. That's why I love you. Sounds good, right?"

Tony felt his throat choke up and settled for pulling Bucky's head closer and answering in the form of a deep kiss. When they finally broke apart, Tony started laughing.

"Fuck! I have to pay Rhodey $1000 now," he laughed and Bucky raised an eyebrow, "He said that you were as crazy as me. You are, you really are."

"Yep," Bucky quipped with a grin, "And I'm gonna have another round of the best birthday sex."

"It's not your birthday anymore, you idiot," Tony laughed as he felt Bucky's fingers trail up his abdomen.

"It's my birthday till I've spent the 22 hours I wanted to spend with you yesterday," Bucky shot back and kissed Tony's laugh, swallowing his happiness into himself.

It really was the best birthday of the century for Bucky.

**Author's Note:**

> Reviews and feedback will be the best return gifts ever! <3


End file.
